Undergarment



Oct- 8, 1940. M. IMERsHElN Re. 21,595

N VEN TOR /f/ir//i /Mf/'5//E/A/ ATT RNEY Oct. 8, 1940. M |MER5||E|N Re. 21,595

UNDERGARMENT Original Filed April 28. 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 8. 1940. M. IMERsHl-:IN Re. 21,595

UNDBRGARMENT Original Filed April 28; 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR @W ORNE y Reissued Oct. 8, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UNDERGARMENT Original No. 2,137,163, dated November 15, 1988,

Serial No. 139,403, April 28, 1937,.

Application for reissue August 3, 1940, Serial No. 351,073

12 clams.

The invention relates to articles of apparel constituting ladies undergarments, such as a girdle, foundation garment, or combination garment of which one portion is constituted of a girdle, such, for instance, as are known as Corselettes. The invention, more particularly, consists in providing an undergarment of any usual type having a portion adapted to encircle the toi-so in the abdominal region thereof, in which such body encircling, or girdling portion has applied thereto, either upon its outer surface, or its inner surface, a plurality of ribbons, tapes, strippings, or like instrumentalities, disposed in a pattern of crossing bands of such ribbons, tapes, etc., throughout particular portions of such garments.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a body-encircling undergarment, usu-l ally a. girdle, with a series of a plurality of strips of ribbons, tapes, or strippings, one such series of strips crossing another, the plurality of strips of ribbon, tape, or strippings, in each series being disposed in parallel relationship to each other.

The objects attained by such provision and disposition of ribbons and/or tapes-are to secure, when the garment `is worn, a attening or smoothing of the ligure at the portions of the body underlying the garmentsat those localities, and to effect an even distribution, by the slight pressure exerted by the strips of ribbon or tape, of the flesh, so that, instead of a direct inward pressure being applied against the more fleshy portions of the body, a uniform and widely distributed even flattening of a comparatively large area of the hypogastric region, in one case, and of the region directly below the small of u the back, in the other, lsueffected. An effective control, more yin accordance with the idealanatomical contour of these regions of the body is thus obtained, without interference withl the necesf sary flexibility of the garment, both for comfort during wear and' for ease and facility in donning or removing the same.

By my novel undergarment, there is thus producedv an appreciable reduction in the waist line by the eiective control and proper distribution of the flesh in the abdominal region, a smoothing and flattening of the anatomical portion below and at the rear of such region, so as to cover U the natural bulging of the thighs and at the same time provide a section of unusual strength and support.

In its broadest aspect, vmy invention contemplates the crossing of two or more strips of ma- 55 terial, rigid or stretchable, the crossing being such that the area in which such crossing occurs overlies the abdomen and diaphragm; giving both additional support and a flattening effect to such parts, in the front; and like members, similarly disposed, in the back -to give additional ysupport 5 and a flattening effect in the buttock and thigh regions.

Specific embodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention being shown therein as applied to a ladies 10` undergarment of the girdle type, the showing being intended by way of illustration, rather than by way of limitation. u

In such drawings, Fig. 1 is a front view of a girdle constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a rear view of such girdle; Fig. 3 is a front view of a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 is a rear view thereof; and Fig.

5 is a view of the girdle of Fig. 3 and 4, showing the inner face of the girdle when it is in fully 20 extended, flat condition.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, the girdle of Figs.

1 and 2, in the construction of which my inven- 25 tion has been utilized, preferably consists of a front section I0 and a rear section I I, with two intermediate side sections I2 and Il, the sections being permanently joined at one side of the garment, while at the opposite side, the edges 30 of the sections I I and I3 are joined through only a small extent of their edges, as at I4,and are provided with cooperating fastener elements (not shown).

The front section I0 of the garment is con- 35 structed of any suitable material, for instance silk brocade, or of netting constituted -of a pluralityof plies, and may include devices, such as the elastic insert I5 assisting the girdle in its body conforming? function; The body III may be'also if? provided with hose supporters I6 of conventional form` The rear section Il of the girdle may be substantially of the form and material constituting the front section, but need not have an'elastic 4Iiv insert. Conventional hose supporters II depend from the rear section of the girdle.

The two intermediate sections I2 and I3 are preferably constructed of an elastic material.

In this embodiment of my invention, illustrated in Figs. l and 2, I provide, uponthe front section, sewn directly upon the outer surface thereof, two series of parallel strips of ribbon or tape I8, the strips of one series being disposed at angles of approximately 45 degrees running diagonally 66 across the face of the section, and the strips of the other series being disposed at like angles. but running diagonally across the face oi' the section in the opposite direction, the two series of ribbons or tapes crossing in the upper half of the front section, or that portion of the girdle which is adapted, when the garment is worn, to overlie the hypogastric or abdominal region of the torso.

By this disposition of the strips of ribbon or tape, the portion of the torso, namely the abdomen or diaphragm region, requiring a flattening or smoothing of the flesh, is directly beneath the area of the section in which the ribbons or tapes cross.

In the rear section of the garment a like disposition of two series of ribbons I9 is made, but in such manner that the irst series crosses the second series at a region of the garment which, when it is worn, overlies the buttocks or the portion of the torso below the small of the back, with the like result of flattening and smoothing the underlying ile'sh. The bottom portions oi the ribbons or tapes effectively cover the bulges of the thighs.

It should be noted that one series of strips of ribbon or tape, i. e., those on the front section I0, extend from near the bottom extremities of the edges of the section, upwardly and diagonally, to substantially the upper edge of the section, whereas the other series of strips of ribbons or tape, i. e. those upon the rear section, extend from near the bottom extremities of the edges of the section to near the upper extremities of such edges, but not to the upper edge of the section. The area at which the series of strips cross each other, will therefore be higher in the iirst instance, namely upon the front section, than in the second, or on the rear section.

It will be understood that while I have shownthe two series comprising three parallel strips of ribbon or tape, and any number, two or more, of such strips may be used in either series.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, substantially the same effects and -results are produced by series of tapes 2li on the front section and series of tapes 2i on the rear section. In such embodiment, however, the ribbons or tapes are secured by stitching, upon the inner faces of such sections, namely those which are adapted, when the garment is worn, to contact the body. In such second embodiment of my invention also, a great latitude in the number of tapes constituting either series, is possible, although I prefer to use such number as is illustrated.

In the garment illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, both of the front and rear sections may be conveniently provided with boning 22, suitably disposed in pockets 23, there being shown three such bone inserts in the front section, extending approximately half way down the length of the section, and two such bone inserts in the rear section, extending substantially the entire length of the rear section. It is to be understood, of course, that my invention is not limited to undergarments, having such boning, but is equally applicable, with the same functions and results, to undergarments having no boning whatever therein.

While I have described particular embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that various modications therein, particularly in the speciic form and disposition oi the parts may be made without departing from my invention.

It will be understood, for instance, that the advantages oi' my invention may be attained by any disposition of ribbons, tapes, or the like in which they cross in an area of the garment section which will give the benet of the increased support and attening effect, 'although not to the full extent resulting from the particular constructions described. Thus, it is conceivable, and I recognize such possibility, that similar advantages and effects will be produced by having the ribbons or tapes extend in horizontal and vertical directions, crossing each other at the regions described. Such structures, if embodying crossing ribbons or tapes, I regard within the ambit of my disclosure and invention.

In place of the ribbons or tapes, there may be used strippings, or ordinary binding cloth with its edges turned in. Such strips may be also constituted of plain ribbon or tape material or of stretchable material, such as lastex. Furthermore, such ribbons, tapes, or strippings may be sewn between two or more layers of material and so applied to the garment sections as to be ooncealed.

As already indicated, the basic principle of my novel undergarment, that is, the crossed dis- 'position of the ribbons, tapes, or strippings, may be applied with equally good results to garments having any desirable type of boning wherever placed within, or upon the garment sections.

I claim:

l. A garment, including a tight tting front portion, said portion having two series of parallel inelastic ribbons, tapes, or the like secured along their lengths to said portion, and extending substantially from one side to the other side of said portion, one series crossing the other diagonally in the region overlying the abdomen of the wearer.

2. A garment including a tight tting rear portion, said portion having two series of parallel inelastic ribbons, tapes, or the like secured along their lengths to said portion, and extending substantially from one side to the other side of said portion, one series crossing the other in the region overlying .the buttocks of the wearer.

3. An undergarment having a portion adapted to encircle the body of the wearer in the region of the abdomen, said portion having a iront section provided with a plurality of strips of inelastic ribbon, tape, or the like secured thereto along their lengths, substantially in parallel relation, to constitute one series of such strips, and with another series of similar strips diagonally crossing said rst series in the hypogastric region of the body, each of said series extending substantially from one side to the other side of said section, the area in which said series of strips cross overlying the abdomen when the garment is worn, saldportion having a rear section which-is similarly provided with two other series of strips of parallel ribbons, tape,'or the like, crossing in the area of the garment overlying the buttocks and thighs when the garment is worn, each of said other series extending substantially from one side to the other side of said rear section, the major portion of the area in which the strips cross on the front section of the garment being higher than the major portion of the area in which the strips cross in the rear of the garment.

4. An undergarment as claimed in claim 3, said sections comprising substantially straightsided panels, most of the strips on said front panel extending from the side edges oi', and from near the bottom edge of said front panel said portion having stretchable elastic side sections joining said front and rear sections.

6. A garment as claimed in claim 3, said garment having stretchable elastic side sections Joining said front land rear sections, said side sections having substantially straight vertical edges, said front and rear sections being substantially rectilinear, most ot the strips on said iront section extending from the side edges of, and from near the bottom edge of said front section to the top edge thereof, most of the strips on said rear section extending from. the side edges of, and from near the top edge of said rear section to the bottom edge thereof.

7. A garment, including a tight tting front, portion, said portion having two series of parallel ribbons, tapes, or the like secured along their lengths to said portion, and extending substantially from one side to the other side of said portion, one series crossing the other diagonally f in the region loverlying the abdomen of the wearer'.

8. A garment including a tight tting rear portion, said portion having two series of parallel ribbons, tapes, or the like secured along their lengths to said portion, and extending substantially from one side to the other side Vof said portion, one series crossing the other in the region overlying the buttocks of the wearer.

9.' An undergarment having a portion adapted to encircle the body of the wearer in the region of the abdomen, said portion having a front section provided with a plurality of strips oi' ribbon, tape, or the like secured thereto along their 4 lengths, substantially in parallel relation, to constitute one series of such strips. and with another series of similar strips diagonally crossing said first series lin the hypogastric region of the body, each of said series extending substantially from one side to the other side of said section, the area in which said series of strips cross overlying the abdomen when the garment is worn, said portion having a rear section which is similarly provided with two other series of strips of parallel ribbons, tape, or the like, crossing in the area of the garment overlying the buttocks and thighs when the garment is worn, each of said other series extending substantially from one side to the other side of said rear section, the major portion of the area in which the strips cross on the front section of the garment being higher than the major portion of the area .in which the strips cross in the rear of the garment.

10. An undergarment as claimed in claim 9, said sections comprising substantially straightsided panels, most of the strips on said front panel extending from the side edges of, and from near the bottom edge of said front panel to the top edge thereof, most of the strips on said rear panel extending from the side edges of, and from near the top edge of said rear panel to the bottom edge thereof.

-1l. An undergarment as claimed in claim 9,

said portion having stretchable elastic side sections joining said front and rear sections.

` 12. A garment as claimed in claim 9, said garment having stretchable elastic side sections joining said front and rear sections, said side sections having substantially straight vertical edges, said front and rear sections being substantially rectilinear, most oi the strips on said front section extending from the side edges of, and from near the bottom edge ot said front section to the top edge thereof, most of the strips on said rear section extending from the side edges of, and from near the top'edge of said rear section to the bottom edge thereof.

MATTHIAS IMERSIEIN. 

